Sneaking in a revival

Although he's credited with introducing steel guitar into rock and creating a new genre of music, former Flying Burrito Brother "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow says he never heard a lot about it from other musicians. "Nobody ever came up to me and said 'What the hell were you trying to do?' " says Kleinow. "It was just something that kind of grew on me." Kleinow is currently out on tour with Burrito Deluxe, a supergroup featuring The Band's Garth Hudson on keys, Kleinow on pedal steel, Carlton Moody on vocals, guitar and mandolin, along with Amazing Rhythm Aces' bassist Jeff "Stick" Davis and session drummer Rick Lonow. The band is promoting their second album, The Whole Enchilada, and has just returned from a European tour.

"I couldn't think of a more enthusiastic audience," Hudson says. "The Irish people seem to be really forthcoming with their enthusiasm. I shook a lot of hands, and I'll tell ya, they're big, strong hands." And although a good deal of the music on Enchilada has a country feel to it, courtesy of Moody's great dirt road vocals and Kleinow's weeping steel, Hudson balks at calling their European audience members of the working class. "I wouldn't say that at all," he says quickly. "It's another kind of nobility." In addition to incorporating the kinds of glorious embellishments he provided for The Band into Burrito Deluxe's music, Hudson will be performing Band classics as well as playing on Burrito Brothers tunes and the new Deluxe material. This won't be an extended tour. All the members are involved in several other projects. Kleinow and Hudson are in constant demand as sidemen, and Moody, who was nominated for a Dove Award this year for a song he wrote for George Hamilton IV, still performs with his band The Moody Brothers. Hudson, a '94 inductee into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, has released a CD with his wife Maud and has recently worked with gospel greats The Dixie Hummingbirds. "We're just trying to do it a tour at a time," Moody says, "trying to do several dates a year and hopefully come back and make another album in another 12 to 15 months."

Burrito Deluxe plays The Pour House Music Hall on Sunday, Aug. 22. Matt King opens. Tickets are $20. Music starts at 7 p.m.